March 12
Events *515 BC - Construction is completed on the Second Temple in Jerusalem. * 538 - Witiges, king of the Ostrogoths ends his siege of Rome and retreats to Ravenna, leaving the city in the hands of the victorious Roman general, Belisarius. *1664 - New Jersey becomes a colony of Britain. *1868 - Henry James O'Farrell attempts to assassinate Prince Alfred, Duke of Edinburgh. *1881 - Andrew Watson made his Scotland debut as the world's first black international football player and captain. *1894 - Coca-Cola is sold in bottles for the first time. *1908 - The Pan-Macedonian group is formed in Athens to support the Greek Struggle for Macedonia. *1912 - The Girl Guides (later renamed the Girl Scouts of the USA) are founded in the U.S.. *1913 - Canberra Day: The future capital of Australia was officially named Canberra. (Melbourne remained temporary capital until 1927 while the new capital was still under construction.) *1918 - Moscow becomes the capital of Russia again after Saint-Petersburg held this status for 215 years. *1928 - In California, the St. Francis Dam fails, killing 400 people. *1930 - Mahatma Gandhi leads a 200-mile march known as Dandi March to the sea in defiance of British opposition, to protest the British monopoly on salt. *1933 - Great Depression: Franklin Delano Roosevelt addresses the nation for the first time as President of the United States. This was also the first of his "Fireside Chats." *1938 - Anschluss: German troops occupy Austria; annexation declared the following day. *1940 - Winter War: Finland signs the Moscow Peace Treaty with the Soviet Union, ceding almost all of Finnish Karelia. Finnish troops and remaining population are immediately evacuated. *1947 - The Truman Doctrine is proclaimed to help stem the spread of Communism. *1954 - Sahitya Akademi is founded in India. *1956 - The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes above 500 for the first time (500.24) *1967 - Suharto takes over from Sukarno to become President of Indonesia. *1968 - Mauritius achieves independence. *1992 - Mauritius becomes a republic while remaining a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. *1993 - Several bombs explode in Bombay (Mumbai), India, killing about 300 and injuring hundreds more. * 1993 - North Korea nuclear weapons program: North Korea says that it plans to withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and refuses to allow inspectors access to nuclear sites. * 1994 - The Church of England ordains its first female priests. *1999 - Former Warsaw Pact members the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland join NATO. *2003 - Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia, assassinated in Belgrade. *2004 - Roh Moo-hyun, President of South Korea is impeached by its national assembly for the first time in the nation's history. *2005 - Tung Chee Hwa, the first Chief Executive of Hong Kong, steps down from his post after his resignation is approved by the Chinese central government. Births *1270 - Charles of Valois, son of Philip III of France (d. 1325) *1386 - Ashikaga Yoshimochi, Japanese shogun (d. 1428) *1478 - Giuliano di Lorenzo de' Medici, ruler of Florence (d. 1516) *1607 - Paul Gerhardt, German hymnist (d. 1676) *1613 - André Le Nôtre, French landscape architect (d. 1700) *1620 - Johann Heinrich Hottinger, Swiss philologist and theologian (d. 1667) *1626 - John Aubrey, English antiquary and writer (d. 1697) *1637 - Anne Hyde, wife of James II of England (d. 1671) *1647 - Victor-Maurice, French general (d. 1727) *1685 - George Berkeley, Irish theologian (d. 1753) *1710 - Thomas Arne, English composer (d. 1778) *1718 - Joseph Damer, English politician (d. 1798) *1781 - Frederica of Baden, Queen of Sweden (d. 1826) *1806 - Jane Pierce, First Lady of the United States (d. 1863) *1821 - Sir John Abbott, third Prime Minister of Canada (d. 1893) *1824 - Gustav Kirchhoff, German physicist (d. 1887) *1831 - Clement Studebaker, American automobile pioneer (d. 1901) *1832 - Charles Boycott, British land agent and originator of the term to boycott (d. 1897) *1835 - Simon Newcomb, American astronomer and mathematician (d. 1909) *1837 - Alexandre Guilmant, French organist and composer (d. 1911) *1838 - William Henry Perkin, English chemist (d. 1907) *1859 - Abraham H. Cannon, Mormon apostle (d. 1896) *1863 - Gabriele D'Annunzio, Italian writer (d. 1938) *1863 - Vladimir Vernadsky, Russian mineralogist (d. 1945) *1864 - W. H. R. Rivers, British psychiatrist (d. 1922) *1880 - Nikolaos Georgantas, Greek discus thrower (d. 1958) *1880 - Henry Drysdale Dakin, British-American biochemist, known for the Dakin-West reaction (d. 1952) *1881 - Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, first President of Turkey (d. 1938) *1881 - Gunnar Nordström, Finnish physicist (d. 1923) *1883 - Zoltán Meskó, Hungarian Nazi (d. 1959) *1889 - Þórbergur Þórðarson, Icelandic author (d. 1974) *1890 - Vaslav Nijinsky, Polish ballet dancer (d. 1950) * 1890 - William Dudley Pelley, American leader of the Silver Legion (d. 1965) *1891 - George W. Mason, American industrialist (d. 1954) *1895 - William C. Lee, U.S. Army general (d. 1948) *1907 - Arthur Hewlett, British actor (d. 1997) * 1907 - Dorrit Hoffleit, American astronomer (d. 2007) *1908 - Rita Angus, New Zealand painter (d. 1970) *1911 - Gustavo Díaz Ordaz, President of Mexico (d. 1979) *1912 - Irving Layton, Canadian poet (d. 2006) * 1912 - Paul Weston, American pianist, arranger and conductor (d. 1996) *1918 - Elaine de Kooning, American artist (d. 1989) *1921 - Gianni Agnelli, Italian auto executive (d. 2003) * 1921 - Ülo Jõgi, Estonian freedom fighter (d. 2007) * 1921 - Gordon MacRae, American singer and actor (d. 1986) *1922 - Jack Kerouac, American writer (d. 1969) * 1922 - Lane Kirkland, American labor leader (d. 1999) *1923 - Hjalmar Andersen, Norwegian speed skater * 1923 - Norbert Brainin, Austrian violinist (d. 2005) * 1923 - Wally Schirra, American astronaut (d. 2007) * 1923 - Mae Young, American professional wrestler *1925 - Louison Bobet, French cyclist (d. 1983) * 1925 - Georges Delerue, French film composer (d. 1992) * 1925 - Leo Esaki, Japanese physicist, Nobel laureate * 1925 - Harry Harrison, American author *1928 - Edward Albee, American dramatist * 1928 - Thérèse Lavoie-Roux, Quebec politician and senator * 1928 - Aldemaro Romero, Venezuelan musician (d. 2007) *1929 - U Win Tin, jailed Burmese journalist *1930 - Vernon Law, American baseball player *1931 - Herbert Kelleher, Southwest Airlines co-founder * 1931 - Billie "Buckwheat" Thomas, American actor (d. 1980) *1932 - Barbara Feldon, American actress and model * 1932 - Andrew Young, American civil rights activist and politician *1935 - John Doherty, English footballer (d. 2007) *1936 - Patrick Procktor, English artist (d. 2003) *1938 - Johnny Rutherford, American automobile racer *1940 - Al Jarreau, American singer * 1940 - M.A. Numminen, Finnish singer and writer *1942 - Ratko Mladić, Republika Srpska leader * 1942 - Jimmy Wynn, American baseball player, 1963-1977 *1945 - Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, American gangster *1946 - Liza Minnelli, American singer and actress * 1946 - Serge Turgeon, Quebec actor and union leader (d. 2004) *1947 - Kalervo Palsa, Finnish artist (d. 1987) * 1947 - Mitt Romney, Governor of Massachusetts *1948 - James Taylor, American musician * 1948 - Kent Conrad, Democratic Senator of North Dakota * 1948 - Virginia Bottomley, British politician *1949 - Rob Cohen, American film director, producer and writer * 1949 - Natalia Kuchinskaya, Soviet gymnast *1950 - Javier Clemente, Spanish football manager * 1950 - Jon Provost, American actor *1952 - Eliézer Niyitegeka, Rwandan journalist, politician and genocidaire *1953 - Carl Hiaasen, American journalist and author * 1953 - Ron Jeremy, American pornographic actor *1956 - Steve Harris, English musician (Iron Maiden) * 1956 - Dale Murphy, American baseball player *1957 - Marlon Jackson, American singer and musician (The Jackson 5) *1960 - Minoru Niihara, Japanese singer * 1960 - Maki Nomiya, Japanese singer * 1960 - Courtney B. Vance, American actor *1961 - Joseph Facal, Quebec politician *1962 - Darryl Strawberry, American baseball player *1963 - Ian Holloway, English football manager *1963 - Joaquim Cruz, Brazilian runner *1965 - Steve Finley, American baseball player * 1965 - Shawn Gilbert, American baseball player * 1965 - Steve Levy, American sports journalist * 1965 - Liza Umarova, Chechen torch singer *1966 - Grant Long, NBA Basketball Player *1967 - Julio Dely Valdes, Panamanian footballer *1968 - Aaron Eckhart, American actor *1969 - Graham Coxon, English musician (Blur) * 1969 - Jake Tapper, American journalist *1970 - Dave Eggers, American writer, editor, and publisher * 1970 - Sean Hopp, American painter and musician * 1970 - Roy Khan, Norwegian singer (Kamelot) * 1970 - John Nemechek, American NASCAR driver (d. 1997) *1971 - Tony Eveready (Duane Moore), American adult film actor *1972 - Hector Luis Bustamante, Colombian actor * 1972 - James Maritato, American professional wrestler *1975 - Kelle Bryan, English singer * 1975 - Annabel Port, English radio presenter *1976 - Simon Young, English music journalist * 1976 - Zhao Wei, Chinese actress *1978 - Masuimi Max, American model * 1978 - Casey Mears, American auto racer * 1978 - Claudio Sanchez, American musician (Coheed and Cambria) * 1978 - Arina Tanemura, Japanese mangaka *1979 - Pete Doherty, English musician * 1979 - Nidia Guenard, American professional wrestler * 1979 - Edwin Villafuerte, Ecuadorian footballer *1982 - Tobias Schweinsteiger, German footballer *1984 - Shreya Ghoshal, Indian singer *1985 - Bradley Wright-Phillips, English footballer * 1985 - Tosh Townend, American skateboarder *1986 - Danny Jones, English singer (McFly) Deaths * 604 - Pope Gregory I *1289 - King Demetre II of Georgia (b. 1259) *1374 - Emperor Go-Kogon of Japan (b. 1336) *1447 - Shah Rukh, ruler of Persia and Transoxonia (b. 1377) *1507 - Cesare Borgia, Italian general and statesman (b. 1475) *1608 - Koriki Kiyonaga, Japanese warlord (b. 1530) *1628 - John Bull, English composer *1648 - Tirso de Molina, Spanish writer (b. 1571) *1681 - Frans van Mieris, Dutch painter (b. 1635) *1699 - Peder Griffenfeld, Danish statesman (b. 1635) *1757 - Giuseppe Galli-Bibiena, Italian architect/painter (b. 1696) *1790 - Andreas Hadik, Austro-Hungarian general (b. 1710) *1832 - Friedrich Kuhlau, German composer (b. 1786) *1872 - Zeng Guofan, Chinese politician and general (b. 1811) *1894 - Illarion Pryanishnikov, Russian painter (b. 1840) *1898 - Zacharias Topelius, Finnish-Swedish writer (b. 1818) *1908 - Edmondo De Amicis, Italian children's writer (b. 1846) *1909 - Joe Petrosino, NYPD lieutenant (b. 1860) *1914 - George Westinghouse, American entrepreneur and engineer (b. 1846) *1916 - Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, Austrian writer (b. 1830) *1925 - Sun Yat-sen, Chinese revolutionary and politician (b. 1866) *1929 - Asa Griggs Candler, American businessman (b. 1851) *1930 - Alois Jirásek, Czech writer (b. 1851) * 1930 - William George Barker, Canadian fighter ace (b. 1894) *1937 - Charles-Marie Widor, French organist and composer (b. 1844) * 1937 - Jenő Hubay, Hungarian violinist (b. 1858) *1942 - Robert Bosch, German industrialist (b. 1861) *1943 - Gustav Vigeland, Norwegian sculptor (b. 1869) *1944 - Artur Gavazzi, Croatian geographer (b. 1861) *1946 - Ferenc Szálasi, Hungarian politician (executed) (b. 1897) *1947 - "Winston Churchill the American", American novelist (b. 1871) *1955 - Charlie Parker, American jazz saxophonist (b. 1920) *1973 - Frankie Frisch, American baseball player (b. 1898) *1974 - George D. Sax, Drive-in bank and instant loan innovator. Owner of the Saxony Hotel. (b. 1904) *1978 - John Cazale, American actor (b. 1935) * 1978 - Gene Moore, American baseball player (b. 1909) *1980 - Arthur Charles Dobson, British racing driver (b. 1914) *1984 - Arnold Ridley, English playwright and actor (b. 1896) *1985 - Eugene Ormandy, Hungarian conductor (b. 1899) *1987 - Woody Hayes, American football coach (b. 1913) *1989 - Maurice Evans, English-born actor (b. 1901) *1990 - Wallace Breem, British author (b. 1926) *1991 - Ragnar Granit, Finnish neuroscientist, Nobel laureate (b. 1900) *1995 - Juanin Clay, American actress (b. 1949) *1998 - Judge Dread, English musician (b. 1945) * 1998 - Beatrice Wood, American artist and ceramist (b. 1893) * 1998 - Jozef Kroner, Slovak actor (b. 1924) *1999 - Yehudi Menuhin, American-born violinist (b. 1916) *2001 - Morton Downey, American television talk show host (b. 1933) * 2001 - Robert Ludlum, American author (b. 1927) *2002 - Spyros Kyprianou, Cypriot politician (b. 1932) * 2002 - Jean-Paul Riopelle, Quebec painter and sculptor (b. 1923) *2003 - Zoran Đinđić, Prime Minister of Serbia (b. 1952) * 2003 - Howard Fast, American author (b. 1914) * 2003 - Andrei Kivilev, Kazakh cyclist (b. 1973) * 2003 - Lynne Thigpen, American actress (b. 1948) *2005 - Bill Cameron, Canadian journalist (b. 1943) * 2005 - Stavros Koujioumtzis, Greek songwriter (b. 1932) *2006 - István Gyulai, Hungarian athletic official (b. 1943) * 2006 - Victor Sokolov, Russian dissident journalist and priest (b. 1947) Holidays and observances *Faroe Islands - Grækarismessa (Mass of St. Gregor): According to tradition, the oystercatcher, the Faroes' national bird returns this day. This event is celebrated in the capital, Tórshavn *Mauritius - National Day. *Ancient Latvia - Gregoru Diena observed. *Arbor Day in People's Republic of China and Taiwan. *Adelaide Cup in South Australia Liturgical feasts In the Roman Catholic Church: *St. Theophanes the Confessor *St. Maximilian *St. Fina External links *BBC: On This Day * *On This Day in Canada ---- Category:March